How do I restore S&W stainless finish

I picked up a used S&W 629 out of an estate and, while the gun functions flawlessly - the finish looks like it was bead blasted or something. Short of returning it to S&W, has anyone tried restoring a stainless finish? Blast with a milder material? Scotch brite's? The gun wil be a shooter but I'd still like it to look nice....

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Reloadron

April 22, 2013, 07:07 PM

Bead blasting will give you a matt finish while buffing it out with buffing compound will give you a bright stainless mirror finish. Really depends on what you are looking for. You could start hand rubbing with Flitz or Mother's compound and see if that gives the finish you want.

No matter what road you take be sure to thoroughly clean the revolver when you are done.

Ron

dfariswheel

April 22, 2013, 08:09 PM

The usual method of restoring the grained factory finish is to use Scotchbrite pads to remove scratches and wear to the factory finish.

If the gun is bead blasted, this may be more then something you could do with a Scotchbrite, and it might require a trip back to S&W to have it professionally done.

rcmodel

April 22, 2013, 09:03 PM

Correct.

If it's bead blasted, the only sure cure is bead blast it again.

You can't do it by hand with a scratch pad.

rc

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